LEGION BASEBALL: Post 199 wins first two games at tournament

Bears shut out Jerseyville and Quincy

Post 199 pitcher Zach Seavers scattered three hits, struck out five and walked two in a 2-0 victory over Quincy Saturday in a Firecracker Classic game at Jerseyville.

Post 199 pitcher Zach Seavers scattered three hits, struck out five and walked two in a 2-0 victory over Quincy Saturday in a Firecracker Classic game at Jerseyville.

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Post 199 pitcher Zach Seavers scattered three hits, struck out five and walked two in a 2-0 victory over Quincy Saturday in a Firecracker Classic game at Jerseyville.

Post 199 pitcher Zach Seavers scattered three hits, struck out five and walked two in a 2-0 victory over Quincy Saturday in a Firecracker Classic game at Jerseyville.

LEGION BASEBALL: Post 199 wins first two games at tournament

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JERSEYVILLE -- The heat and humidity had kicked in nice and cozy in the early morning hours at Ken Schell Field, enough for anyone playing in the 2018 Metro East Firecracker Classic to get more than a good sweat in.

It is precisely why pitching was at a premium, and both Reid Hendrickson and Zach Seavers of Edwardsville Post 199 put in premium efforts for their team and limited the amount of time spent on the diamond.

Hendrickson kicked things off with a complete-game one-hitter in an 11-0, five-inning win over Jerseyville Post 492, and Seavers rounded out the day with seven solid innings of three-hit ball in a 2-0 win over Quincy Post 37.

Alex Schreiber had a hit in each game but they produced four total RBI's as Edwardsville (16-2) sits in good shape in pool play heading into their Sunday games against Jefferson City (Mo.) Post 5 at 12:30 p.m. and Elgin Post 57 at 3 p.m.

Edwardsville 11, Jerseyville 0 -- Hendrickson carried a no-hit bid into the bottom of the fifth and needed one more out to record one but gave up a two-out double to Jerseyville catcher John Collins down the left field line.

Other than that, it was a strong outing for the Edwardsville right-hander, who walked four and struck out 10 and hit a batter on 82 pitches.

"It's never gone through my mind," Hendrickson said of the no-hitter. "As far as when I'm up there, I just think next pitch. Whatever I can do to get this batter out. It was fine. We won the ballgame.

"It could have been a lot better (performance). The four walks, there were some batters that got away from me, but overall, pretty good day with my stuff. Glad we got it over in five today; the offense was good today."

Schreiber's bases-clearing double in the first off Trenton Darr came on a 3-1 pitch with two outs and nowhere to put the Post 199 left fielder that made the score 3-0.

"I was just looking for a pitch down the middle and got a good one," Schreiber said. "I think it was 3-1, that's what I was looking to do. ... I'm looking for something right down the middle in my wheelhouse that's really where I like it. It was there and I hit it."

It was a day where Edwardsville only had six hits off Jerseyville pitching, but eight walks and five hit batters did not help the cause for four Jerseyville pitchers.

Chase Gockel, who was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, drove in two in the fifth when Edwardsville scored three times to make it a short game.

Edwardsville 2, Quincy 0 -- Tate Wargo's go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the top of the fifth broke a scoreless tie and Seavers did the rest on just 78 pitches. He walked two and struck out five.

"We all love playing baseball, but it was a really hot one today," Seavers said. "I just had to go out there and do what I could. Konnar's always great to have behind the plate and he always gives our pitchers confidence. I feel I can throw anything I want with him and he's always going to block it. He did an excellent time calling pitches and that made it a whole lot easier. I also have amazing fielders behind me so I'm able to pitch to contact and that helps out a lot during hot days like this. I don't have to go deep in pitch counts if I'm able to throw strikes and locate my pitches and I was able to do that today."

Quincy had just six base runners and Seavers retired the final nine batters he faced.

"The top four hitters in the lineup got better swings at him first time through the lineup, but that second-to-last inning where they had 2-3-4 coming up, I let him and Konnar know that these are good hitters," Edwardsville manager Ken Schaake said of Seavers. "We really need to concentrate on getting them out.

"It was a good effort by both of them today and Loewen back behind the plate, all 160 pounds of him in weather like this."

Quincy lifted starting pitcher Tucker Kunzeman with two outs in the top of the fifth and a runner at second base. Jared Engeman doubled with one out and scored on Wargo's line drive single up the middle off reliever Malachi Lentz.

"He just gave me a ball I could drive up the middle and I took advantage of that," Wargo said. "I was being aggressive there."

Edwardsville got an insurance run in the sixth when Gockel led off with a double and scored on Schreiber's RBI single.

Jerseyville will play again at 10 a.m. Sunday against Jefferson City and the late game at 7:30 p.m. against Quincy.

Alton 3, Odin/Patoka 0 -- Alton Post 126 opened its pool play at Moody Park in Fairview Heights with a shutout win over Odin/Patoka Post 543 on Saturday morning.

Wesley Laaker went the distance on a three-hit shutout, and Ethan Kopsie was 3-for-3 with a double and RBI for Alton, which got an RBI and a run scored from Cullen McBride.